Wow Explosive Highlights From An Old Lens!

[Richard K.]

Finally got around to testing my old Anthony "Pill-box" (Achromat) lens. With the pillbox removed (f/6 or so), the groundglass shows these incredible exploding scintillatiing blobs of brightness emanating from highlights in the subject (a tree with white flowering, er, flowers) due to rampant spherical abberation. Absolutely delightful to observe. With the pillbox screwed on, now f/19, you get a regular (more or less) rendition with just tiny glowy halo-y highlights and an otherwise surprisingly sharp image. Unfortunately, on the neg the second rendition is quite beautiful but the first just wasn't captured since its effect was largely kinetic (there was a slight breeze) and on film the overlapping globs of heavenly light mostly obliterated any sense of detail (although there is some!). BUT, definitely worth exploring and adjusting shutter speed, f-stops, etc. Now I'm starting to realize why all of you are so excited about 150-year-old lenses and then the P&Ss, Veritos, etc. And this was just a run of the mill Anthony meniscus achromat. Tomorrow, I'm taking out a Heliar and Euryscop! This is all so groovy!

[Mark Sawyer]

Uh-oh... another addict! :D

[Jon Wilson]

Richard....you must be confused. It is fungus and you must ship the lens to me immediately for a complete and proper cleaning. It will be returned once I am convinced the fungus will not return. :)

Enjoy your new jewel...but you must post some shots.

Jon

[Darryl Baird]

Yes, it is dangerous having some time on one hands, evidenced by my three-day weekend (wife was at a workshop). First I tore apart a magnifying glass and placed it into a front-of-lens shutter, used just for the set screws to hold it and then taped onto a board, then I took off the front element of a 12" B&L Projection lens (from a new-style magic lantern) and attached it similarly.

Both were shot on 8x10 Kodak X-Ray film rated at 50 ISO, developed in XTOL. The first (with no person) is from the (cheap) magnifying glass, the second is the B&L lens element.

Elvis, ... well I had to do it. ... and Mark Sawyer made me consider it possible...

It's almost summer, and the "projects" have piled up in anticipation of more fun in the sun with lenses.

[Richard K.]

Richard....you must be confused. It is fungus and you must ship the lens to me immediately for a complete and proper cleaning. It will be returned once I am convinced the fungus will not return. :)


Jon, I couldn't possibly take advantage of such a selfless act of kindness! I'll just take it apart and clean as best I can myself...turpentine, maybe?

[goamules]

...the groundglass shows these incredible exploding scintillatiing blobs of brightness emanating from highlights in the subject (a tree with white flowering, er, flowers) due to rampant spherical abberation. ...

It is fun to try these lenses in unusual ways. One thing to check with a simple landscape meniscus though, is that the flat side of the lens is facing outward, towards where the aperture usually sits. If they are flipped the other way (convex side out) they will be extremely wild, soft, and null and void. Unless you like that stuff, and then they are a lot like what you describe above! But the original config is flat side out.

[Emil Schildt]

Welcome to the club.

I have some of these old lenses in different sizes - from very small to a quite bif Dallmeyer lens.

These are taken with this Dallmeyer lens.
13x18 negative.

[Richard K.]

Darryl and Gandolfi...yup that's what I'm talking about! Fantastic!

Garrett, my meniscus is correctly oriented, thanks for the caution...

[Daniel_Buck]

speaking of correctly oriented, I've got an aero ektar that I suspect was re-assembled incorrectly. It gives me crazy highlights! In this photo (christmas tree with lights) the front part of the tree is actually in focus, but the highlights go crazy! haha!

http://404photography.net/wip/4x5/radioactive_christmas_01.jpg

[Emil Schildt]

speaking of correctly oriented, I've got an aero ektar that I suspect was re-assembled incorrectly. It gives me crazy highlights! In this photo (christmas tree with lights) the front part of the tree is actually in focus, but the highlights go crazy! haha!

http://404photography.net/wip/4x5/radioactive_christmas_01.jpg

wow - Christmas on LSD? :D

[Jim Galli]

Oh sure......who can compete with Emil :cool:


http://tonopahpictures.0catch.com/150Eidy/PuffBallsS.jpg
puff balls (http://tonopahpictures.0catch.com/150Eidy/12inchDarlotLandscape.html)

Click for more with this lens.

[Jim Noel]

Jon, I couldn't possibly take advantage of such a selfless act of kindness! I'll just take it apart and clean as best I can myself...turpentine, maybe?
Use Listerine - it kills fungus! Certainly not turpentine - it will leave a mess on your lens.

[Richard K.]

Use Listerine - it kills fungus! Certainly not turpentine - it will leave a mess on your lens.

Wow! I thought you were just kidding...I tried it and my highlights are much whiter and cleaner now!!